Thoughts for Food is March 1; save the date!

This year's 16th annual Thoughts for Food event will be different from recent years'. Scheduled for Saturday, March 1, it will feature the same kinds of foot-stomping live music as in year's past, and the same purpose: to raise funds and food donations for the Racine County Food Bank. In its 15 years so far, Thoughts for Food has raised $265,000 and more than 66,700 pounds of food for the food bank.

Thirty-six bands and performers have been scheduled at 10 different stages. The difference is that all those stages will be closer together -- all north of the Root River. Old-timers will remember that the very first Thoughts for Food event was staged at just one bar -- George's Tavern.

The change this year -- scaled back from an event that ranged all over downtown in recent years -- will make it easier to attend more multiple venues, since they'll all be closer together, and will allow the organizers to do away with most of the expensive ($4,000) buses used in past years to ferry partygoers around. There will still be a shuttle to carry event-goers between the Racine Yacht Club and Michigan's Pub.

Best yet: there will be another Thoughts for Food event on Sept. 20, this one staged only at downtown venues!

Tickets are $10 if bought by Friday, Feb. 29; after that they are $15. Tickets are available at any of the venues except the Racine Yacht Club, as well as at the Racine County Food Bank. Tickets bought in advance provide entry to the main event as well as to the Pre-Event Band Showcase on Friday, Feb. 29, from 7 p.m. to midnight, at the Eagles Club.

Complete schedule of events and bands below.

Other events staged in conjunction with Thoughts for Food are:
-- An All-Ages Event on Friday, Feb. 29, at the Racine YMCA. Tickets cost $6, plus two non-perishable food items. This year's lineup:

6 p.m., The Arsonist
6:45, A Guide to Suicide
7:30, The Reinforcements
8:15, Labeled
9, East of You
9:45, Anatomy of a Masochist
10:30, Bury My Enemies

--A Fund-Raising Dinner at the Corner House on Friday, Feb. 29, featuring a choice of prime rib, filet mignon, lobster tail or king crab. Tickets are $100 each, or six for $500. Social Hour from 5:30 - 6:30 with cash bar and dinner at 6:30. All net proceeds benefit the Racine County Food Bank and availability is limited. To purchase tickets, contact Dan Taivalkoski at the Food Bank at (262) 632-2307 or John or George Kopolus at the Corner House at (262) 637-1295.

But the main event, as usual, is the performers at the varied venues. Here's the schedule so far:

George's Tavern
1201 North Main St.

Mean Jake 7:00 - 8:15
Rhythm Dogs 8:30 - 9:45
Pulltops 10:00 - 11:15
Shameless Place 11:30 - 12:45

Fraternal Order of Eagles 281
Upstairs
319 Hamilton St.

Root River Band 7:00 - 8:15
Fun Factory 8:30 - 9:45
Pavlik, Stellman & Martin 10:00 - 11:15
Private Saunders 11:30 - 12:45

Fraternal Order of Eagles 281
Downstairs

EZ Liv'n 7:00 - 8:15
Lyden Moon 8:30 - 9:45
Flat Pocket 10:00 - 11:15
Identity Crisis 11:30 - 12:45

Coasters
1301 North Main

Rumble Box 7:00 - 8:15
89 Mojo 8:30 - 9:45
Sun Spot 10:00 - 11:15
Radioactive Squirrels 11:30 - 12:45

Racine Yacht Club
2 Hubbard St.

Mesnard Location 7:00 - 8:15
Twang Dragons 8:30 - 9:45
3 Floors Up 10:00 - 11:15
CoAxe 11:30 - 12:45

Michigan's Pub
1300 Michigan Blvd.

Elusive Parallelograms 7:00 - 8:15
Mohr Avenue 8:30 - 9:45
Killing Dick Phefer 10:00 - 11:15
The Andes 11:30 - 12:45

Redline Tavern
1201 North Wisconsin St.

Catch Me One Kid 7:00 - 8:15
Matthew Specht 8:30 - 9:45
Billy Orphan 10:00 - 11:15
OCD 11:30 - 12:45

Chartroom
209 Dodge St.

Titus, Rench & Wheary 7:00 - 8:15
Night Wing 8:30 - 9:45
Mark Harrod 10:00 - 11:15
Lake Effect 11:30 - 12:45

The Rhino Bar
1659 North Main

Melvin Barker & The Blues Cruise 7:00 - 8:15
JosB 8:30 - 9:45
Gypsy Creed10:00 - 11:15
Highway 13 11:30 - 12:45

Sandpiper
303 Dodge St.

Bands and times to be announced

.Stay tuned....